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This Is Not a Love Song
This Is Not a Love Song | Brendan Mathews
7 posts | 4 read | 6 to read
This engrossing first story collection by rising star Brendan Mathews is packed with compelling tales such as "My Last Attempt to Explain to You What Happened with the Lion Tamer," in which a love triangle complicates things between a lion tamer, a trapeze artist, and the strongman. Mathews effortlessly weaves irresistible stories from a wide array of situations, as in "Airborne," in which a couple's obsession with a mold in their house causes them to tear it apart plank by plank. A worker in architectural salvage trying to two-time his boss by stealing a valuable antique, a father and his sons haggling over the family business during high-stakes rounds of golf, and a widow of the Bosnian conflict recalling her husband's demise and her dramatic escape are only a few of the warm and intimately revealed characters populating Mathews's enchanting collection. This Is Not a Love Song is proof positive that Mathews is every bit the expert minimalist that he was the boisterous maximalist, as each of these ten stories brings its world and its sympathetic characters to life with vivid detail, emotional precision, and winning humor.
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rjsthumbelina
This Is Not a Love Song | Brendan Mathews
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Pickpick

This was unexpected at most turns. Character-centered and full of heart, this short story collection hits all the right notes in it's discussion of love in it's various forms and types. I will definitely be reading more from this author! Only 1-2 of these stories were less than 5 ⭐ for me.

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

rjsthumbelina This counted as a book with a #gorgeouscover, which was the A for charms class, for the #NEWTs #magicalreadathon 5y
19 likes1 comment
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saguarosally
This Is Not a Love Song | Brendan Mathews
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Both of these look like they will burn.

readordierachel Awesome cover! 6y
46 likes1 comment
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saguarosally
This Is Not a Love Song | Brendan Mathews
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Each evening I read one story. Today‘s story was more sadness than horror, more emptiness than Dumpster fire.

I am enjoying reading this collection one day at a time and the anticipation is enjoyable.

49 likes1 stack add
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saguarosally
This Is Not a Love Song | Brendan Mathews
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Really I wish I had some pictures of things much worse than a dead leaf on a curb. This is a collection of Dumpster fires really.

DivineDiana Maybe so, but it looks like a painting! 💙 6y
saguarosally @DivineDiana Thanks! I have other photos, but really I just wanted an excuse to post a dead leaf, 6y
44 likes2 comments
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saguarosally
This Is Not a Love Song | Brendan Mathews
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Just a bit of irony for the day given the tagged book. This morning at the Atlantic Ocean. Sunrise over the Atlantic has now been seen. I need some new and crazy adventure ideas.

#sunrise #waytoocold

ChasingOm Beautiful picture!! 6y
saguarosally @ChasingOm Thanks! Almost lost a finger or two but it would have been worth it. 6y
kspenmoll Gorgeous! 6y
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hermyknee Gorgeous photo!!! Wow wow wow 🤩 6y
saguarosally @hermyknee I got some better ones. 6y
49 likes6 comments
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saguarosally
This Is Not a Love Song | Brendan Mathews
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Do you ever try to read a book in the area where the author resides to get a feel of their backdrop? Granted it was so cold I got through one page, but I‘m pretty sure the author is based out of somewhere in western Massachusetts and this is in western Massachusetts.

Now I just wish I had had more time to spend there!

review
Bookalong
This Is Not a Love Song | Brendan Mathews
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Pickpick

5/5🌟
Very insightful story collection!
This collection offers a sharp look at the human condition and our never-ending search for connection and longing.
This collection publishes tomorrow February 5th!
#bookreview #bookblogger #bookblog #booklover #shortstories #storycollection

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